Clothes line and clothes pin assembly

ABSTRACT

A combined clothes line and clothes pin assembly embodying an endless clothes line suspended from two pulleys, one pulley being secured to one support and the other pulley being carried in a pulley block suspended from another support opposite to said one support. Mounted within the pulley block is a combined pulley and reel unit rotatable on a common axis, the upper run of the clothes line being wrapped around counter-clockwise on the pulley of the pulley and reel unit and the lower run extending freely from the pulley in the pulley block to the other pulley secured to said one support. Within the pulley block, the pulley and the pulley of the combined pulley and reel unit rotate on parallel axis transverse to the longitudinal extent of the pulley block. Wound counter-clockwise on the reel is a reel line having one end secured to the reel and the other end to a selected point on the lower run of the clothes line. Secured to the reel line in selected spaced relation are clothes pins or clips each having opposed resilient arms for gripping an article of apparel, etc. The reel line with its clips is unwound as the clothes line is moved in a direction towards the pulley carrying one end of the same remote from the pulley block, the articles of apparel being hung on the clothes line in a zone beneath the pulley block such that the unwinding reel line will successively present clothes clips that will grip desired parts of the articles of apparel, etc. to be carried by the lower run of the clothes line.

United States Patent Miguel [151 3,656,630 51 Apr. 18,1972

1541 CLOTHES LINE AND CLOTHES PIN ASSEMBLY [72] Inventor: Robert Miguel, 364 60th Street, Brooklyn,

[22] Filed: Jan. 2, 1970 211 Appl. No.2 19s [52] [1.8. CI .2ll/1l9.1'1 [51] Int. Cl. .....D06l-53/00 [58] FieldotSearch ..21l/119.ll,l19.12,119.13,

21l/l19.l, 119.01, 119.02, 119.03, 119.14

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,777,784 10/1930 Cole 2,815,864 12/1957 Alexander. 2,845,186 7/1958 Schwan ......211/119.11

FOREIGN PATENTS OR APPLICATIONS 490,131 2/1953 Canada... .Q ..211/119.02

Primary Examiner--Ramon S. Britts Attorney-Carl Miller ABSTRACT A combined clothes line and clothes pin assembly embodying an endless clothes line suspended from two pulleys, one pulley being secured to one support and the other pulley being carried in a pulley block suspended from another support opposite to said one support. Mounted within the pulley block is a combined pulley and reel unit rotatable on a common axis, the upper run of the clothes line being wrapped around counter-clockwise on the pulley of the pulley and reel unit and the lower run extending freely from the pulley in the pulley block to the other pulley secured to said one support. Within the pulley block, the pulley and the pulley of the combined pulley and reel unit rotate on parallelaxls transverse to the longitudinal extent of the pulley block. Wound counterclockwise on the reel is a reel line having one end secured to the reel and the other end to a selected point on the lower run of the clothes line. Secured to thereel line in selected spaced relation are clothes pins or clips each having opposed resilient arms for gripping an article of apparel, etc. The reel line with its clips is unwound as the clothes line is moved in a direction towards the pulley carrying one endof the same remote from the pulley block, the articles of apparel being hung on the clothes line in a zone beneath the pulley block such that the unwinding reel line will successively present clothes clips that will grip desired parts of the articles of apparel, etc. to be carried by the lower run of the clothes line.

4 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures 1 CLOTHES LINE AND CLOTHES PIN ASSEMBLY This invention relates to clothes lines and has for its primary object the provision of an endless clothes line suspended between two fixed supports, there being further provided in operative relation to the clothes line an additional line carrying a row of fixed clothes clip which are individually presented to the clothes line at a selected location whereat the clothes or other objects are placed on the clothes line so as to be secured thereon by the clothes clips.

Another object of this invention is to provide at one end of the clothes line an elongated pulley block having a swivel connection to one of the fixed support, there being a pulley therein adjacent the swivel connection which supports one end of the endless clothes line; the other end of the endless clothes line being supported by a pulley connected to the other fixed support. 1

Yet another object of this invention is to provide within the pulley block a combined integral co-axial pulley and reel unit to which pulley an intermediate portionof the clothes line is wrapped around in a counter-clockwise direction, and the reel having wound thereon in a counter-clockwise direction the additional line carrying the rowfixed clothes clips thereon.

A further object of this invention is to secure one end of the additional or reel line to the reel and the other end of the reel line to a selected point on the lower run of the endless clothes line.

Still another object of this invention is to form the clothes clips with an eye portion fixedly secured to the reel line and with depending opposed resilient arms providing a wide space therebetween adjacent the eye to accomodate therein the lower run or recess providing a placement zone in which objects such as garments, etc., may be positioned on the lower run of the clothes line in close relationship to a presented clothes clip for securing such object to the clothes line; the clothes clips being successively presented by the unwinding of the reel line as the lower run of the clothes line is pulled in a counter-clockwise direction.

Further objects of the invention will appear as the description proceeds.

To the accomplishment of the above and related objects, my invention may be embodied in the form illustrated in the accompanying drawings, attention being called to the fact, however, that the drawings are illustrative only, and that changes may be made in the specific construction illustrated and described within the scope of the appended claims.

FIG. I is a side view of the clothes line assembly.

FIG. 2 is a schematic view partly in perspective of the clothes line assembly.

FIG. 3 is a top plan view of the clothes line block showing the pulley and pin carrying reel arrangement.

FIG. 4 is an end view of a clothes pin taken on line 4-4,

FIG. 1.

Referring to the drawings in'greater detail, FIG. 1 shows the clothes line assembly incorporating the features of the invention and is seen to consist of a clothes line suspended between opposed supports 11 and 12. A pulley block 14 is provided at one end of the clothes line assembly 10 and consists of two parallel like side plate members 16, 17 held in spaced apart relation at one end by a U-shaped cross-brace 18 having inwardly directed legs 20, 21 rigidly secured in any desired manner respectively to the inside surfaces of plate members l6, 17, see FIG. 3. Mounted centrally on cross-brace 18 is a swivel eye or hook number 22 adopted to attach the pulley block 14 to a hook 23 on support 11. Each of the side plates l6, 17 at their lower sides and between the ends thereof are recessed or cut-out as at 24 to provide a clothes hanging zone to be hereinafter described.

Arranged in the pulley block 14 between its side plates 16, 17, is a pulley 25, disposed adjacent the cross-brace l8 and a combined pulley and reel unit 26 disposed adjacent the free open end of the pulley block opposite the cross-brace 18. Both the pulley 25 and the combined pulley and reel unit 26 rotate provided with a pair of like hubs 28, 29 there being an axial bore 30 through the hubs and pulley. A shaft or pin 32 extends through the bore 30 and through. the side. plates l6, 17 with the extended ends of the pin 32 headed over as at 33 to securely retain the pulley 25 thereon. A slight clearance is provided between the tenninal ends of the hubs 28, 29 and the inside surfaces of the side plates 16, 17 such that binding action is obviated and the pulley 25 will have free rotation on its shaft or pin 32.

The combined pulley and reel unit 26 consists of a pulley 34 and a reel 36 integrally formed as a single member having axial hubs 37, 38 and an axial bore 39 extending entirely through the hubs 37, 38, pulley 34 and reel 36. A shaft pin 40 extends through axial bore 39 and side plates l6, 17 with its extended ends headed over as at 42, similar to that on shaft or pin 32. As with pulley 25, the combined pulley and reel unit 26 is free to rotate on its shaft or pin 40.

Reel 36 maybe of any desired axial width and has wound thereon a length of line 45 hereinafter referred to as reel line, of any suitable material such as woven strands of thread or plastic material, one end of the reel line 45 being suitably secured to the drum of the reel as at 46. The reel line 45 is wound on reel 36 such that on counter-clockwise rotation of the reel 36, as will be hereinafter described, will cause the reel line 45 to unwind from the reel. Fixedly secured at selected spaced intervals on the reel line 45 are clothes pins or clips 48. The clothes clips 48 in the form shown are made of spring metal having an upper eye' 50 provided with a struckout inwardly directed prong 51. The eye 50 being clamped over (or around) the reel line 45 such that the prong 51 will penetrate the same to thereby secure the clothes clip 48 to the reel line as shown in FIG. 4. The opposed arms 52, 53 extending downwardly from eye 50 are bowed out as at 55 adjacent the eye to accomodate the clothes line proper (to be hereinafter described) and any fabric object hung thereon, the lower terminal ends 56 being rounded outwardly and normally either in abutting or close juxtaposition to each other so as to resiliently grip the fabric object 58 (in this case a sock) therebetween. As heretofore stated the clothes clip 48 is formed of spring metal. The clothes clip 48 may also be formed of plastic material with the arms thereof having suflicient resiliency for the desired purpose thereof and may be secured to the reel line in any desired manner as by fastener pins, bonding, etc. The reel line 45 with its attached clothes clips 48 are wound on the reel 36, and the other end of o the reel line is suitably secured at a I selected point in any desired manner as at 60 on a clothes line 62. It is to be noted, viewing the schematic showing in FIG. 2 that pulley 34 and reel 36 rotate in'the same direction about this common axis A.

On support 12 opposite support 11 there is provided a hook 64 to which is connected the yoke 65 of a clothes line pulley 66. The clothes line 62 travels around clothes line pulley 66 and its upper run, enters the pulley block 14, wrapping around pulley 34 of the combined pulley and reel unit 26 in a counterclockwise direction, see FIGS. 2 and 3, and lastly travels around pulley 25 in the pulley block 14. The lower run of clothes line 62 extends freely between pulleys 25 and 66. As is apparent, the clothes line 62 is continuous or endless and in the operation of hanging and securing garments, other wearing apparel, towels, sheets, etc. thereon, it is pulled and/or moved in the direction of the arrows B, see FIGS. 1 and 2. Referring to FIG. 3, by virtue of the wrapping around (counter-clockwise) of the clothes line on pulley portion 34 of the combined pulley and reel unit 26 movement of the clothes line 62 in the direction of arrow 8" will impart a counterclockwise rotation to the unit 26 such that the reel line 45 will be unwound from the reel portion 36 of the unit 26, this by reason of its securement at 60 to the clothes line 62.

Thus, there is directly available to the person hanging garments, etc: on the clothes line in the cut-out zone 24 between the ends of the side plates l6, 17 of the pulley block 14, see FIG. 1, a clothes pin or clip 48 presented on the unwinding on parallel axis transverse to the side plates l6, l7. Pulley 25 is reel line 45 which either will be forced over the garment portion to grip an edge portion thereof as the sleeve 70 of shirt 71, see FIG. 1, or the edge portion of a garment, etc. such as sock 58 may be affixed to clothes clip 48 by hand manipulation of the clothes clip or by pushing or forcing the edge portion in between the resilient arms 52, 53 thereof as seen in FIG. 4. It is to be understood that the length of the reel line 45 will correspond at least to the portion or length of the clothes line 62,

between reel 36 and clothes line pulley 66, and that the reel 36 be so dimensioned as to accomodate such length of the reel line. The reel line 45 will obviously lie above the clothes line 62, which latter is stradelled by the resilient anns 52, 53 of the clothes clip 48, see FIG. 4.

It is also to be noted that the ends of the pulley block 14 side plates l6, 17 are rounded so as to nearly completely cover in the vertical plane the sides of the pulley 25 and the combined pulley and reel unit 26, and the side plates 16 and 17 are of such a length as to provide in the cut-out portions 24 of each a hanging zone of sufficient size to render easy and unobstructed placement of garments, etc. thereon, as well as to permit ready manipulation of the clothes clip 48 and garment (such as sock 58) when so indicated as to have the clothes clip 48 straddle the clothes line 62, and grip the said garment. When all the clothes on the line 62 are dry, they may be simply pulled away from the clothes clips 48 as the clothes line 62 is pulled or moved in the opposite direction (to arrow B which will impart a clockwise rotation to the unit 26 so as to wind up the reel line 45 on the reel 36.

While certain novel features of my invention have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

l. A clothes line and clothes clip assembly comprising:

a. an endless clothes line stretched out to form parallel upper and lower runs with turns at opposite ends of said runs b. a pulley block carrying one end of the clothes line;

c. said pulley block including a first pulley rotatably mounted on a first transverse axis;

d. a combined co-axial second pulley and reel unit mounted within said pulley block on a second transverse axis longitudinally spaced from said first transverse axis;

. a third pulley carrying the other end of the clothes line;

said second pulley and reel unit being longitudinally positioned between said first pulley and said third pulley;

a portion of the upper run of said clothes line being wound around said second pulley;

. a reel line wound on the reel of said unit having one end secured to said reel and its other end secured to said lower run of said clothes lines; and

. a row of spaced apart clothes clips each individually secured to the reel line, whereby movement of the lower run of the clothes line will impart an unwinding of the reel line to successively present a clothes clip in operative relation to the lower run of the clothes line for securing thereto objects placed thereon;

j. said pulley block comprising a pair of vertical elongated run:

parallel side plates;

k. a cross-brace connecting said side plates at one thereof;

1. a swivel eye connected centrally to said cross-brace for mounting the pulley block on means attached to a support;

m. said side plates at their other end being open and facing said third pulley,

n. an underside of the first said pulley side plates each having a longitudinal notch on the underside thereof for clearance above a horizontal portion of said clothes line lower run extending between said first pulley and said reel and second pulley so to form a loading and unloading zone so that clothes may be draped across said clothes line and remoyed therefrom, said zone at one end openmg out on a unction where said clothes CllPS reel lme begins contact with said lower run, and

0. means connecting said third pulley to a support opposite said first mentioned support.

2. The clothes line and clothes clip assembly of claim I, in-

cluding:

a. a first pin transversely connected to each of said side plates providing said first transverse axis;

b. said first pulley being rotatably mounted on said first pin;

c. a second pin transversely connected to each of said side plates providing said second transverse axis;

d. said combined co-axial second pulley and reel unit being rotatably mounted on said second pin; and

c. said combined co-axial second pulley and reel unit being disposed adjacent the open end of the pulley block opposite the cross-brace.

3. The clothes line and clothes clip assembly of claim 2,

wherein:

a. said portion of the upper run of the clothes line is wound counter-clockwise on said second pulley;

b. said reel line carrying the row of clothes clips is wound counter-clockwise on said reel; and

c. the end of the reel line connected to the lower run of the clothes line having its point of attachment thereto forwardly of the open end of said pulley block;

whereby movement imparted to the lower run of the clothes line in a direction towards the third pulley will impart a counter-clockwise rotation to the combined second pulley and reel unit to unwind the reel line from the reel, with the reel line positioned above the lower run of the clothes line.

4. The clothes line and clothes clip assembly of claim 3,

wherein each clothes clip includes:

a. an upper eye portion surrounding the reel line;

b. means fixedly securing said eye portion to the reel line;

c. a pair of opposed resilient clamping arms depending from said upper eye portion and integral therewith;

d. said arms adjacent the eye portion being bowed outwardly to accomodate therebetween the lower run of the clothes line and an object carried thereon; and

e. the lower free terminal ends of the resilient arms being curved outwardly and in substantially abutting engagement such as to clampingly engage said object to hold the same to the lower run of the clothes line. 

1. A clothes line and clothes clip assembly comprising: a. an endless clothes line stretched out to form parallel upper and lower runs with turns at opposite ends of said runs b. a pulley block carrying one end of the clothes line; c. said pulley block including a first pulley rotatably mounted on a first transverse axis; d. a combined co-axial second pulley and reel unit mounted within said pulley block on a second transverse axis longitudinally spaced from said first transverse axis; e. a third pulley carrying the other end of the clothes line; f. said second pulley and reel unit being longitudinally positioned between said first pulley and said third pulley; g. a portion of the upper run of said clothes line being wound around said second pulley; h. a reel line wound on the reel of said unit having one end secured to said reel and its other end secured to said lower run of said clothes lines; and i. a row of spaced apart clothes clips each individually secured to the reel line, whereby movement of the lower run of the clothes line will impart an unwinding of the reel line to successively present a clothes clip in operative relation to the lower run of the clothes line for securing thereto objects placed thereon; j. said pulley block comprising a pair of vertical elongated parallel side plates; k. a cross-brace connecting said side plates at one thereof; l. a swivel eye connected centrally to said cross-brace for mounting the pulley block on means attached to a support; m. said side plates at their other end being open and facing said third pulley, n. an underside of the first said pulley side plates each having a longitudinal notch on the underside thereof for clearance above a horizontal portion of said clothes line lower run extending between said first pulley and said reel and second pulley so to form a loading and unloading zone so that clothes may be draped across said clothes line and removed therefrom, said zone at one end opening out on a junction where said clothes clips reel line begins contact with said lower run, and o. means connecting said third pulley to a support opposite said first mentioned support.
 2. The clothes line and clothes clip assembly of claim 1, including: a. a first pin transversely connected to each of said side plates providing said first transverse axis; b. said first pulley being rotatably mounted on said first pin; c. a second pin transversely connected to each of said side plates providing said second transverse axis; d. said combined co-axial second pulley and reel unit being rotatably mounted on said second pin; and e. said combined co-axial second pulley and reel unit being disposed adjacent the open end of the pulley block opposite the cross-brace.
 3. The clothes line and clothes clip assembly of claim 2, wherein: a. said portion of the upper run of the clothes line is wound counter-clockwise on said second pulley; b. said reel line carrying the row of clothes clips is wound counter-clockwise on said reel; and c. the end of the reel line connected to the lower run of the clothes line having its point of attachment thereto forwardly of the open end of said pulley block; whereby movement imparted to the lower run of the clothes line in a direction towards the third pulley will impart a counter-clockwise rotation to the combined seconD pulley and reel unit to unwind the reel line from the reel, with the reel line positioned above the lower run of the clothes line.
 4. The clothes line and clothes clip assembly of claim 3, wherein each clothes clip includes: a. an upper eye portion surrounding the reel line; b. means fixedly securing said eye portion to the reel line; c. a pair of opposed resilient clamping arms depending from said upper eye portion and integral therewith; d. said arms adjacent the eye portion being bowed outwardly to accomodate therebetween the lower run of the clothes line and an object carried thereon; and e. the lower free terminal ends of the resilient arms being curved outwardly and in substantially abutting engagement such as to clampingly engage said object to hold the same to the lower run of the clothes line. 